Items37The creator’s order
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Superb lyrebirdA superb lyrebird can copy calls from other birds and weave them into its own performance. A captive bird named Chook also picked up mechanical sounds around his enclosure. His recording is a reminder that a noise like a tool can be part of a bird’s repertoire.0 - 2
KoalaA koala’s bellow starts with a labored intake of air and drops into a low, rattling growl. Males can go surprisingly low thanks to an extra pair of vocal folds above the larynx. The bellow is especially associated with the breeding season.0 - 3
Porichthys notatusA male plainfin midshipman can keep up a low, steady hum from a nest under a rock. Fast contractions of muscles against the swim bladder produce the sound, which helps attract females. A chorus can sound like an electrical hum that refuses to turn off.0 - 4
KākāpōA male kākāpō calls from a shallow bowl in the ground during the breeding season. He inflates an air sac in his chest to send out a series of low, resonant booms. His sharper courtship call, the ching, gives the same large, flightless parrot a very different sound.0 - 5
American bitternThe male American bittern makes a deep, gulping rhythm that sounds like an old water pump. The low notes carry across a marsh, where the bird can be hard to see against the reeds. Listen for the little intake of air between the louder beats.0 - 6
White bellbirdA male white bellbird can deliver a clear, hard-edged call that rings like metal. In the louder of its two main songs, the first note can give way to a much more forceful second note. A male can turn to direct that second note at a nearby female.0 - 7
Club-winged manakinThis little manakin can sing with its wings. A ridged feather and a neighboring feather interact as the male rapidly moves his wings during courtship. The result is a high buzz with a clear pitch, like a tiny stringed instrument.0 - 8
Laughing kookaburraA laughing kookaburra can start with a low chuckle and build to loud cackles. Other kookaburras can join in as they advertise their territory. The chorus can sound uncannily like several people laughing together.0 - 9
Common loonA common loon’s wail cuts over open water, rising and then trailing into a lower note. Loons use it to keep in touch when they’re apart. The quicker, wavering tremolo is a different call, heard when a loon is alarmed or in flight.0 - 10
Wilson's snipeThe pulsing sound from a diving Wilson’s snipe is called winnowing. Air makes its outer tail feathers vibrate as the bird flies through a courtship display. The sound is a good reason to look up over a marsh even when the calling birds seem to be at ground level.0
